As a teenager I would often drink four to five cans of Coca-Cola or Pepsi a day. Of course, one visit to the dentist changed that habit. However here in Europe, I find myself drinking more soda than ever.

When traveling you are resigned to eat the majority of your meals at a restaurant or food stand. In America, much like bathrooms, a free glass of tap water is always on the menu. Here, it is near impossible to get a free glass of water with a meal. We are told that many waiters will consider a request for tap water to be a miserly attempt at keeping the cost of the bill low. That is, if you can figure out how to ask for “tap water” in the language needed.

Being broke travelers, Chris or I often ask for water only to be charged for a glass bottle of water. Eventually, we were resigned to the fact that tap water isn’t on the menu here. And unlike Wink’s ungodly ability to eat whole meals without a beverage, I constantly resign myself to a Coca-Cola. Because, if I am going to pay for a drink it better at least have high fructose corn syrup.

If you can manage, try to carry a bottle of water with you everywhere. Not just for the hours of walking city streets, but for when you finally do take a food break your wallet can have one more €2 coin.

2 Comments

Ian Fulguirinas

Nov 2, 2008 at 4:34 pm

Also, Coke is pretty universal, you’re unlikely to run into too many problems involving translations etc. But if you try to order something in their language, who knows what kind of thing you might end up pronouncing…